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As usual, the four trainers who couldn't enter the water had no choice but to wait on the shore.
"The battle must be happening somewhere else. Otherwise, there'd be some reaction on the surface."
Song Jie stared at the eerily calm water, his tone firm.
They had expected something like underwater explosions—maybe torpedo-like disturbances—but the surface remained undisturbed.
It was as if the four Pokémon that had dived in had mysteriously vanished.
"Hope things go smoothly. Wishiwashi… well, you could call them weak, but you could also call them terrifying."
Qu Sheng let out a long sigh. Pokémon were strange creatures that defied common logic.
In some ways, hundreds of Wishiwashi using moves separately might be more effective than their School Form.
But Wishiwashi were inherently frail, living in groups for survival. Lone Wishiwashi were practically nonexistent—they wouldn't dare fight other Pokémon alone.
Only when gathered into their School Form would they dare challenge others.
That was just their nature.
Good luck trying to raise one that feared nothing. No wonder they were so rare in competitive battles.
"Honestly, if they could just take out the leader first, they might be back already."
Yang Tianwang chimed in.
Only the central Wishiwashi wearing the tag was worth five points—the rest didn't count.
So if Greninja was fast and clever enough to capture the core Wishiwashi before the swarm formed, they could skip the whole boss fight entirely.
But that was wishful thinking.
One had already come up to scout earlier, vanishing the moment it was spotted.
If it had any intelligence, it would have the School Form ready by the time Greninja and the others dove in.
Heck, it might even have backup—something like an Alomomola to heal or boost its moves, just like in the games.
Li Xiang pulled out some snacks from his bag, sharing them with the group.
Above them, a camera-equipped Magnemite floated closer, hiding behind a tree to film the four boys chatting and snacking on rocks.
Li Xiang glanced at it from the corner of his eye but said nothing. They'd been filmed by these Magnemite countless times already.
Even their earlier dispute with Luo Dayou had been recorded and likely sent back to camp.
...
Back at Camp
In the surveillance room filled with over a hundred screens, Xiang Yangwei lounged in his chair, sipping tea from a large mug as he watched the footage.
"Now this is what I call charisma. I bet you won't find many in any Youth Training Camp across Zhu Xia willing to give up their own points for others."
He pointed at the screen where Li Xiang and his friends sat in a circle, sharing snacks, and laughed.
The camera Magnemite's capabilities far exceeded Li Xiang's expectations. It didn't just record video—it captured sound too.
Unfortunately, the audio quality wasn't great. From a distance, voices became distorted. Converting sound waves into electrical signals was tricky for a Magnemite—a bit too advanced for its level.
A Magnezone might've done better.
Really, the issue was with the fourth-gen camera module. A 100-meter effective range for auxiliary audio? The R&D department swallowed budgets whole—couldn't they make something more useful?
"This is just the first time. By the second or third, they'll realize how foolish self-sacrifice is."
The Tenth Man stood behind Xiang Yangwei, pushing up his glasses coldly.
"Oh? That's what you think?"
Xiang Yangwei turned, setting down his mug.
"Correct."
The Tenth Man's expression remained indifferent. "When everyone else gets promoted, they'll see how stupid their choice was."
The crushing disparity would gnaw at them like maggots. By the next points competition, this peaceful camaraderie would be gone.
He was certain of it.
"Besides, you've seen how he acts when it comes to points."
The Tenth Man's tone was pointed. "That 'take everything' greed of his will drive them away."
"You're really dedicated… Alright, how about a bet?"
Xiang Yangwei grinned before suddenly turning serious.
The Tenth Man frowned. "A bet? I don't gamble."
"No harm in trying. You're so dismissive of these kids' resolve, aren't you?"
Xiang Yangwei took another sip, eyes glinting. "What, all talk?"
"Camp Leader, reverse psychology won't work on me… Fine. What's the wager?"
The Tenth Man had intended to refuse, but something in Xiang Yangwei's gaze made him relent.
Xiang Yangwei smiled faintly. "A thousand points. You have the authority for that, right?"
"The bet is whether these three will keep helping Li Xiang until he saves up enough for that shiny Metang."
The shiny Metang cost 6,000 points—an astronomical number.
Even at the fastest rate, it'd take five or six months to save up.
"A thousand points?" The Tenth Man was startled by the amount. "You plan to transfer them to Li Xiang?"
Xiang Yangwei waved a hand. "Of course not. It's the carrot dangling in front of the Mudbray. They'll keep moving forward as long as it's there."
The Tenth Man gave him a surprised look.
He'd assumed it was for Li Xiang's sake.
"…Fine."
He agreed, because he, too, was curious—could Li Xiang and his friends last that long?
The Tenth Man's earlier pessimism was just part of his job. His Ability—Contrary.
Even if his instinct to argue had seeped into his daily life.
Back at the Stream.
Li Xiang munched on a compressed biscuit. After a full day of hiking, he was genuinely hungry.
Song Jie rubbed a PokéBall, lost in thought.
Nearby, Qu Sheng and Yang Tianwang competed to see who could skip stones farther.
They'd been waiting for nearly ten minutes, yet the pond remained eerily still.
It was hard not to wonder if something had gone wrong. Qu Sheng had considered sending his Cloyster down to investigate multiple times, but Li Xiang stopped him.
He had absolute faith in Greninja. A single Wishiwashi shouldn't be a problem.
Besides, there was no way four Pokémon could lose to one, right?
If School Form Wishiwashi were that strong, it wouldn't be worth just five points—it'd be ranked higher.
"Such nice weather, yet we're stuck here grinding for five points."
Li Xiang swallowed the last bite of his biscuit and sighed.
The early autumn breeze was refreshing—less humid than summer's warmth, carrying a crisp coolness instead.
Sitting by the stream, listening to the water and rustling leaves, feeling the wind brush past—it made him want to jump up and run with it.
Above, a group of Hoppip and Skiploom drifted by, their leaves and flowers spinning lazily.
They weren't part of the competition. In this season, they migrated south to warmer climates, returning only in spring.
—A rare migratory Grass-type species.
"Migratory Pokémon, huh…"
Li Xiang stuffed the wrapper back into his bag, leaning back to watch the floating Pokémon.
'If I could become a Pokémon, that'd be pretty fun.'
"Rather sit here than join them?"
Song Jie's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Li Xiang turned and saw two students deep in the woods on the opposite bank, being chased by four Vigoroth, their Pokémon panting and exhausted.
As time passed, more students' Pokémon were reaching their limits, energy reserves nearly depleted.
Some might've tried using recovery items, but unlike Li Xiang's group, most couldn't handle groups of three-point wild Pokémon and ended up defeated.
Once defeated, recovering solely with food was nearly impossible in a short time.
In short—these two were on the verge of elimination.
No, scratch that. They were already eliminated.
Under Li Xiang's gaze, the Vigoroth caught up, their Pokémon taking multiple Slash hits until they collapsed.
"Ooh! Ooh!"
"Ooh ooh ooh!"
The Vigoroth cheered excitedly after their victory.
A camera Magnemite emerged from the trees, emitting a voice:
"Eliminated participants, please press your emergency devices and exit the field immediately to avoid accidents or inconveniencing others."
With that, the Magnemite flew off.
The two students sighed, recalling their Pokémon and activating their emergency beacons, letting the Kadabra teleport them away.
They never noticed the stream or the four boys nearby, but the Vigoroth seemed to have sensed something.
In the distance, Li Xiang and the others huddled behind a large rock.
"The Magnemite can talk?"
"It's using a speaker. More importantly, what about those Vigoroth? Did they spot us?"
"Rules say neither side's Pokémon can attack humans. Even if they did, so what?"
"True, but these are Vigoroth. What if they snap? Or camp by the stream to ambush us if Blastoise and the others come back exhausted—"
"Don't jinx it!"
At that, Li Xiang peeked out—just in time to see the four Vigoroth walking straight toward them.
Their target was clear.
"They're coming this way. We've been made."
Li Xiang frowned. Honestly, it'd be weirder if they hadn't been spotted.
Yang Tianwang grimaced. "What now? Rules say we can't send out a second Pokémon. Do we just surrender?"
"I say we hide in the woods—"
Before they could finish, a deafening BOOM erupted from the pond!
The water exploded!
A massive geyser shot into the air, and within it—a shimmering blue fish, easily three times the size of a person, breached the surface like a leaping dragon!
It twisted midair, preparing to crash back down—
Only for a hulking bronze wall to intercept its descent!
DONG!
A metallic clang rang out as the Wishiwashi slammed into the Bronzong, its path altered. Instead of returning to the water, it was sent hurtling toward the shore—
Right where Li Xiang and the others were hiding.
THUD!
The Wishiwashi beached itself on the hard ground, dazed and thrashing.
The Vigoroth, now spotting the massive fish, froze mid-celebration.
They exchanged glances.
Maybe it was time to leave.
"Ninja!"
'Since you're here, why not stay a while?'
A voice whispered in their ears.
The Vigoroth jolted, frantically slashing at the air around them.
Every attack missed.
Then, a bolt of ice-blue lightning shot down from the trees.
The cold was unbearable—instantly freezing them solid. In the blink of an eye, four new ice sculptures decorated the forest, and perched on a branch, half-hidden in dappled sunlight, a shadowy figure watched silently.